Vampire Weekend: A Novel
From the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Brotherhood
"A love letter to the power of music, this thoughtful, humorous exploration of what constitutes living versus mere survival sees Chen (Light Years from Home) at the top of his game." --Publishers Weekly starred review
"A strong emotional core carries Chen's (Light Years from Home, 2022) latest, which is ultimately about healing from old wounds and learning how to embrace life again after loss--even if you're dead." --Booklist
Being a vampire is far from glamorous...but it can be pretty punk rock.
Everything you've heard about vampires is a lie. They can't fly. No murders allowed (the community hates that). And turning into a bat? Completely ridiculous. In fact, vampire life is really just a lot of blood bags and night jobs. For Louise Chao, it's also lonely, since she swore off family ages ago.
At least she's gone to decades of punk rock shows. And if she can join a band of her own (while keeping her...situation under wraps), maybe she'll finally feel like she belongs, too.
Then a long-lost teenage relative shows up at her door. Whether it's Ian's love of music or his bad attitude, for the first time in ages, Louise feels a connection.
But as Ian uncovers Louise's true identity, things get dangerous--especially when he asks her for the ultimate favor. One that goes beyond just family...one that might just change everything vampires know about life and death forever.
"A love letter to the power of music, this thoughtful, humorous exploration of what constitutes living versus mere survival sees Chen (Light Years from Home) at the top of his game." --Publishers Weekly starred review
"A strong emotional core carries Chen's (Light Years from Home, 2022) latest, which is ultimately about healing from old wounds and learning how to embrace life again after loss--even if you're dead." --Booklist
Being a vampire is far from glamorous...but it can be pretty punk rock.
Everything you've heard about vampires is a lie. They can't fly. No murders allowed (the community hates that). And turning into a bat? Completely ridiculous. In fact, vampire life is really just a lot of blood bags and night jobs. For Louise Chao, it's also lonely, since she swore off family ages ago.
At least she's gone to decades of punk rock shows. And if she can join a band of her own (while keeping her...situation under wraps), maybe she'll finally feel like she belongs, too.
Then a long-lost teenage relative shows up at her door. Whether it's Ian's love of music or his bad attitude, for the first time in ages, Louise feels a connection.
But as Ian uncovers Louise's true identity, things get dangerous--especially when he asks her for the ultimate favor. One that goes beyond just family...one that might just change everything vampires know about life and death forever.
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Community Reviews
Being a vampire isn’t nearly as cool as the stories make it seem. There’s no turning into bats. No super strength or speed. An murder is strictly out of the question. No, since Louise was turned decades ago her life hasn’t changed all that much, save for becoming nocturnal. And immortal.
The problem with being immortal and nocturnal is that you get isolated from the rest of the world. After the death of her aunt - the only family she remained in contact with - and her last best friend, Louise has fallen into a depressive routine of isolation. Wake up, go to work, steal from the blood bank, rinse, repeat. Until some of her long lost family shows up on her doorstep.
Ian is 16 and just lost his father, and now his mother is in the hospital with cancer. So he’s going through it. And like many kids who are going through it, he’s drawn to punk rock. Maybe because she’s lonely, maybe because he reminds her of her younger self, Louise starts to befriend him. Over the course of a weekend the pair start to bond. Ian’s clever, though, and when he starts to figure out Louise’s secret it could spell danger, or revolution.
I would hazard to call this novel a cozy horror. A heartwarming story about how everyone needs connection and community, and how we can often find that in unexpected places. About reconnecting with lost family and making up for past mistakes. And of course, being the most punk rock vampire you can be.
Also all vampires are asexual, which I am very into.
The problem with being immortal and nocturnal is that you get isolated from the rest of the world. After the death of her aunt - the only family she remained in contact with - and her last best friend, Louise has fallen into a depressive routine of isolation. Wake up, go to work, steal from the blood bank, rinse, repeat. Until some of her long lost family shows up on her doorstep.
Ian is 16 and just lost his father, and now his mother is in the hospital with cancer. So he’s going through it. And like many kids who are going through it, he’s drawn to punk rock. Maybe because she’s lonely, maybe because he reminds her of her younger self, Louise starts to befriend him. Over the course of a weekend the pair start to bond. Ian’s clever, though, and when he starts to figure out Louise’s secret it could spell danger, or revolution.
I would hazard to call this novel a cozy horror. A heartwarming story about how everyone needs connection and community, and how we can often find that in unexpected places. About reconnecting with lost family and making up for past mistakes. And of course, being the most punk rock vampire you can be.
Also all vampires are asexual, which I am very into.
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